Life in Beni

People always want to know what life is like in Beni, the town where I live in the DR Congo. And until people actually come and visit, see it with their own eyes, I will continue to be asked to describe it. Which is fine with me! I like telling people about life and living there. But for now, here are a few things that make Congo (or maybe this part of Africa, unique):

• The gorgeous but sporadic views of the Ruwenzori mountains to the east of us.
• Glaciers on the Equator (in the Ruwenzori mountain range)!
• Our students and their enthusiasm for learning.
• The vegetation is very green... All year round. If trees look like they're dying (as they do here during the Fall), it's because they are! 
• The way that people can always be heard singing (cooking any meal, walking down the street, working, etc). 
• The smells of cooking stews during the early evening hours.
• Some bleating goats sounds frighteningly like children crying... And the reverse can also be true. 
• Everyone greets one another if you pass on the street, especially around home. It can be very rude to not say even a simple "hello."
• Children can make musical instruments out of most any item... The sounds of these melodies can be heard late into the evening hours as they are walking home or sitting outside their houses. 
• Language is so diverse... Most Congolese know at least three languages... Others understand or are even fluent in eight! 
• The food is fresh - naturally grown, freshly cut or harvested and quickly eaten. You have not tasted pineapple until you've tried it in the Congo. Amazing.
• Church services can seem to go on for an eternity... But it is really time that is dedicated to our God, in honor and worship of Him. So it's not so bad after all.
• Most people start and end their days with the sun. Since we're on the Equator, we have a solid 12 hours of sunlight... About 2-3 hours after dark (so by 9pm), most people are in their homes, quiet, with their families, getting ready to sleep. 
• Work is hard. Gardening is nothing like gardening here... Being a butcher is totally different as well. But the people work, sometimes for hours on end. 
• When someone is happy - it is usually very obvious. Joy pours out of people's eyes, hearts, lives. This is an emotion that is not easily hidden or kept discrete. When someone is happy - it is expressed. Freely.
• Children watch after other children. Each one has one younger then him/herself, and they know they must take care of that smaller child. Parents don't usually have to worry about their children. They know they are being cared for. 
• Adults watch out for and discipline other people's kids as well. If a little boy does something wrong, but his mother isn't there to see it, you can bet another mother or loving adult is nearby, and believe me; he/she will be quick to correct that child! 
• Families are huge. Not because they are all having 20 children (that's uncommon and rare), but because who is included in the family is much broader than what's typical in the West. Not only are there the brothers and sisters of the husband and wife, but their inlaws and the family of the inlaws... There are cousins and more cousins and 5th cousins. Family members may have uncertain connections, but it's known that somehow, somewhere, he or she is connected to the family. 
• Some parents will sacrifice everything, to be able to send their children to school: leaking ceilings, broken bicycles and even food. Education is extremely important.
• There is no end to the people who love you and have your back. Family is always there. 
• Almost everything stops when it rains (pours). Not only do motorcycle drivers stop and seek shelter, so do those working in the fields, walking down the streets... Even inside, businessmen, teachers - many have to stop their work, because the sound of the rain drowns out all other noises! 
• Many children work as hard as their parents... Cooking, fetching firewood, cleaning, selling things on the streets, carrying gallons of water on their heads or backs... Everyone is expected to contribute. 
• Food can be scarce for most families, especially during certain times (drought, flood, hardship at work leading to less income, etc). But there is always something for each member of the household. And even surprise guests. 
• The sun is much closer to us there. One of my dear friends told me before I left the States in 2008 that the sun in Congo, feels like it's just above your forehead... Cooking you all day long! He was right. The sun is so powerful there. Thanks Baraka.

I love where I live. It is a beautiful place. And these few things listed above - just scratch the surface of what it's like there. But I hope it will give you even a glimpse into life in Beni, DR Congo.

Peace,
Bethany

Rain in Beni

During one rainy day, I took video of the rain... This isn't like the heaviest rain we can get there - but it's not a drizzle either! :) Please excuse the steadiness of the camera!

When in Rome... part 2

On particularly hot days, you always stay dressed up, in public. Especially women wear a lot of layers of clothes. And a hot day is no excuse to wear much less. It doesn't matter how hot the sun is, if you have a slip on (extra modesty for foreign-made clothes), if there is a breeze... Really, if you're in public, you stay fully dressed and just sweat it out. 

Without question, you eat whatever is on your plate. Everything. You may or may not know what it is or like the taste of it, but if it's on your plate, it better get eaten. Most of the time, eating at someone's house is a big deal (often they want to honor and welcome the visitor in their home). So the food they serve, may not be what they usually eat, it might be a special meal. Most families cannot afford to eat meat everyday. And when meat is eaten, the quantity usually isn't very large. So if your piece is mostly or all gristle, you eat it. I've been able to occasionally trade pieces with people sitting next to me, but it's discrete and with Noé or one of our international staff like Justin. However the other day, at Honoré's house, my piece of meat (served by myself!), was part of the liver... Of either goat or cow (I'm not sure which animal it was, since my piece wasn't meat!). I knew it was liver as soon as I tried to rip a piece off with my fingers, by how it easily fell apart. Noé was too far to give this "special" piece to and the others around me wouldn't have understood. So I ate it. Somehow... 
The very next afternoon, I was cooking food at Shanga Irene's house with Festo's wife Grace. Mid afternoon Grace and I stopped to have lunch. It was a very normal meal - beans, banana plantains, avocado. And then Grace plopped two pieces of goat meat on our plate. It looked soft, smooth, without bones... That's not too typical for the meat here. It was liver again. So, I ate it. Eating it two days in a row didn't make me like it any more than I had before. And I'm convinced that's why I felt a bit queasy the two days after we cooked together... Too much liver in my system!
A few hours later, Grace jokingly offered me some of the fried blood of the goat. I hesitated and thankfully did not (have to) eat it. She told me she doesn't like it, but will occasionally eat it. Blood? Ish. If I can help it, I'll avoid that one...

Another thing I've learned is that being tan is not appreciated in Congo, except by other Americans. Sitting outside doing laundry in the sun, is unbelievable to most Congolese. Since the sun is so hot, why in the world would someone sit in it? Showing someone tan lines or how dark my arms have become since November is really seen as silly. Why would you want to be like that? Men and (especially) women often use creams to bleach their skin (the market is full of skin lightening products, like soaps and lotions). **That is another topic that I should expound on separately, because it's one of the things I really think is terrible, not to mention extremely unhealthy!** 
And recently I've felt like I should protect myself from potential skin damage (hopefully it's not too late), so I've been putting on sunscreen. SPF 50, nearly every morning - because sometimes a 20 minute ride to or from school on the back of a motorcycle can be enough to get burned. My skin isn't usually very sensitive to the sun, but combining my anti-malarial and living on the Equator - I'm just as sensitive as some of my fair-skinned sisters! :)